The candidates running for Missouri Students Association president and vice president spoke directly to voters at MSA’s presidential campaign debate in Walter Johnson Auditorium on March 6 at 5:30 p.m.

This was one of the last opportunities for slates to differentiate themselves to voters.

Zeb Howell and Taylor McMahan are the candidates from the slate Reimagine Mizzou, and Miyah Jones and Cydney Perkins are the candidates from the slate Mizzou4U. 

Kat Ramkumar, the news director at KCOU, and Olivia Mizelle, a multimedia editor at The Maneater, moderated the debate. Sydney Lewis, the Mizzou Student Media general manager, wrote the debate questions. The moderators addressed both slates with general questions as well as questions targeted to specific slates – with the opposing slate also given an opportunity to respond. After a five-minute break, moderators asked audience-submitted questions. 

Reimagine Mizzou acknowledged that MU is a place of valued tradition, but stressed that improvements should be made to the university. The three parts of Reimagine Mizzou’s platform are “reimagine governance”, “reimagine our community” and “reimagine our relationships”. 

“We want to take what we have built that is good and reimagine what is not. We want to do what’s best for all students,” Howell said. 

Mizzou4U reiterated the three main parts of their platform: “circulating knowledge,” “establishing culture” and “allocating resources.” They said they want all students to engage with MSA in some way. To achieve this, Perkins said it is important that students feel safe to communicate concerns.

“We haven’t always felt all the love from Mizzou,” Perkins said. “While we love this campus, this hasn’t always [been] presented as a place that is for us. We want to create a new atmosphere where all students feel like we do support them.”

Policies and efficacy 

Mizzou4U introduced plans for an “emergency fund” to facilitate implementing their campaign initiatives. 

“Things happen in the spur of the moment. When those things happen, you need to know where to go. We want MSA to be one of those places,” Jones said. “We just want to have it to where we can get emergency funding or emergency support, whatever that need [is] at that moment.”

Additionally, Mizzou4U said they plan to be transparent with the student body about their initiatives and their progress. 

“Our main thing is being authentic,” Jones said. “We just want to communicate the entire process while we’re working. So if [administration] are resistant at any point, we just want to make that clear. We’re just going to say [administration] didn’t allow us to do this, or if there’s other struggles, whether it’s financial barriers or whatever the case may be, we just want to make that clear and then move accordingly.” 

One initiative that Reimagine Mizzou has prioritized is establishing “coffee chats” between students and MU administration.

When current MSA President Josiah Mendoza and Vice President Molly Miller ran as the Show Me Mizzou slate in 2022 election, they also proposed a similar idea of “coffee hours” where students would meet directly with administrators for coffee and donuts once or twice a month. Howell stressed the importance of a positive relationship with administration. 

“Although administrators do serve students, we need proper administration, [and] we need fulfilled administration. That’s something that we don’t currently have,” Howell said. 

Mizzou4U offered a counterpoint, citing low student participation in the current coffee hours as an opportunity to plan for different means of communication.

“Coffee hours were a thing this year, and just looking at the engagement with it, students aren’t really active,” Jones said. “We have already decided that we’re going to create multiple new forums, that way students can come and feel more comfortable to just share their ideas [and] conflicts, all those things with admin, so we’ve already been in contact with them.”

Plans to address issues on campus

On Dec. 9, 2022, student Megan Miller used a racial slur and promoted violence against Black people in a Snapchat message. After administration’s decision not to suspend Miller and MSA’s response being a post on Instagram, candidates were asked how they would address similar issues if they arise on campus during their executive term. 

Jones said Mizzou4U will focus on improving transparency between students and MSA. 

“We’re going to be completely authentic,” Jones said. “If [administration] doesn’t want to move forward on a project, we are going to make that clear to students. We aren’t only going to make an Instagram post, we’re going to provide a safe space for students to come voice their opinions.” 

The Reimagine Mizzou candidates said they would prioritize student feedback before responding to issues.

“The first thing we will do is make sure that students are safe and comfortable,” Howell said. “We will work with the Counseling Center to make sure that students do have safe spaces. And, when they feel comfortable, having those conversations.” 

Non-partisanship

Both candidates of the Reimagine Mizzou slate have interned for senators who promote anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion and anti-gun-reform policies. Howell has interned for U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler since June of 2022, while McMahan interned for U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt from January 2022 to June 2022. Moderators asked if their views reflect those of their former and current employers. 

“Those positions with those congressmen, those opportunities for employment, those opportunities for experience do not mean [that the views of the congressmen] are our views,” Howell said. 

When elaborating on how their political views might influence how they represent and advocate for students, Howell said MSA is a nonpartisan organization and Reimagine Mizzou would serve all students.

“I truly think that student body representation and student government should stay out of the hands of politics,” McMahan said. 

Howell reaffirmed this nonpartisan perspective, recognizing the different beliefs and backgrounds of individuals on campus. 

“Student priorities are our priorities,” Howell said. “We come from different communities, but everyone on campus is from a different community, everyone has a different background. As student leaders, we’re elected by all students, not just those from certain identity groups.” 

In response to Reimagine Mizzou, Mizzou4U said they would ensure the values of all organizations they are affiliated with align with the values of the student body.

Perkins said her and Jones’ actions will reflect what they believe in. She referenced a quote to affirm the campaign’s stances. 

“There’s this quote I’d like to bring up: ‘When you stand for nothing you fall for anything,’” Perkins said. 

Plan B

The Coalition for Bodily Autonomy, composed of students and community organizations, was originally formed last fall. One demand of the coalition is that administration provide free contraceptives — including the Plan B pill — to students. 

Howell and McMahan said Reimagine Mizzou would connect students with resources in the Columbia community. 

McMahan said if MSA is unable to allocate funding, then efforts should be made to communicate alternatives to students. 

“Providing students with the avenues to connect with outside resources … it comes down to aiding them and getting them those resources that they need,” McMahan said. 

Responding to the same question, Jones and Perkins expressed a desire to negotiate existing policies with MU administration.  

“Policies are simply paper and pen. Just as they were written, they can be unwritten,” Perkins said. “You definitely want to sit down with administration, have those hard conversations and come to a solution where students will be safe and happy and be able to be students here on campus.”

Fostering student engagement

According to a question posed to the candidates, over the last four years the average turnout in the spring MSA elections is less than 12% and many students feel disengaged from MSA. Both slates discussed how they plan to increase student engagement — specifically with MSA. 

Howell said that maintaining a strong presence on campus is necessary to build a foundation for relationships between students, MSA and administration. 

“We’re only in office for a year. Making those plans and building those relationships are important so that when we do leave office, that the next president and the next vice president in the year after that, and the year after that have these connections,” Howell said.

Perkins said one of the reasons why she and Jones wanted to run for vice president and president of MSA was in hopes of encouraging awareness and involvement in student government. 

“Me and Miyah have kind of already started building these relationships, building these platforms, especially from our involvement in opportunities and things such as MSA, summer welcome, [and] LBC (Legion of Black Collegians),” Perkins said. “One of the biggest things that students want is their voice heard, and not just heard, but action steps following what’s being heard.”

Representation at MU

Moderators asked both slates how they will serve areas of the student population that they are not a part of. 

The Mizzou4U slate said it is important to create spaces where people feel heard.

“To address the elephant in the room, as Black women, it is definitely a part of our mission to create safe spaces for marginalized communities,” Perkins said.

Perkins said that prior to her campaign, she started the Filling In The Space project to increase minority student involvement in major campus organizations such as Tour Team, MSA and the Alumni Association Student Board. 

Reimagine Mizzou’s candidates also addressed their involvement on campus, which they said allowed them to interact with different groups of students across campus. 

“I’m involved in a lot of other student organizations on campus that have different demographics … Zeb is involved in Tour Team and Summer Welcome,” McMahan said.

When asked about involvement, Reimagine Mizzou listed organizations that predominantly serve white students.

Summer

One question addressed how both candidates will remain physically present on campus during this summer to address student needs. As part of her response, Jones said she will not be in Columbia for certain periods of time this summer. 

“I do have an internship in Washington, D.C., but I plan to be here for both weekends coming by, visiting [and] making sure that I’m here at those big events,” Jones said. 

Howell responded by emphasizing that both he and McMahan will be present in Columbia for the entire duration of the summer academic season from June 5 to July 28. 

“[The] outline for the MSA constitution [states] that presidents are supposed to serve anytime classes are in session,” Howell said. “I will be present during all of that. And I’m not sure if everyone else could possibly make that promise.”

Voting in the MSA election

MSA will host in-person polling places in the Student Center, Memorial Union and Kuhlman Court from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 8 and 9. These polling locations will have devices for students to place their vote. All undergraduate MU students are eligible to cast their ballots online through this link. Voting opens at noon on Tuesday, March 7 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 9. 

Edited by Annie Goldman | agoldman@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Grace Knight, Lauren Courtney and Mary Philip